Mr. Pollo

I love love love Peruvian food, so you can imagine how excited I was to discover Mr. Pollo on a recent visit to Garden Grove.
The atmosphere is casual; this tiny restaurant, located in a drab little strip mall about a mile or two South of Disneyland, has only eight tables inside. You order and pay at the counter and the food comes out pretty quickly. This was a bonus for me as I was ordering my food to go to take back to the hotel and I didn’t have to stand around long to wait. You’re not going to impress a date with the atmosphere, but you just might impress her with your taste in food.
There was a television set tuned to the Spanish station playing in the dining room and several older gentleman were watching it while enjoying their meals.
I placed my to go order with a lady who didn’t stop smiling at me once. Seriously good customer service. My order of Lomo Saltado came out quickly in a sturdy styrofoam container and she remembered to include a plastic fork and napkin in my bag (I hate when I am traveling and people forget these — makes it VERY hard to eat).
This magnificent aroma permeated every corner of my car during the short drive. The french fried potatoes were crisp (not soggy even after the drive back to the hotel) and the seasoning was excellent.
I shall definitely return on my next trip South!

Chicken is amazing! I recommend quarter dark with rice and fries. It’s my absolute favorite! They also have really good ceviche. It’s a little on the spicy side though. If you don’t eat spicy let them know to make the ceviche less spicy.

No vengan a este lugar el servicio es terrible !!! Y los precios súper caros.

This place has really good service. My wife and I came in when they were almost closing and they greeted us with a smile and did not even mentioned that they were about to close.
I should mention that we had just been to the Salvadorian place on the same commercial center and we were turned away.
Anyway, aware of the time, we entered Mr. Pollo. No issue there. Nice people.
However, I was not impressed with the food. My pollo was alright at best. The green sauce, not sure what it’s called, not very good. My wife ordered the Lomo Saltado and that was actually pretty decent.
I’d like to come back if only because they are so nice there but I’m looking for a better Peruvian place as I happen to really like Peruvian food.
Maybe. We’ll see.

Came here with my dad about a month ago hoping they had the same menu as the Mr. Pollo in Covina. It was different, by the way. However, the chicken was absolutely delicious! We also ordered fried rice, which I’ve had better but it was good. :)
The only thing that bothered me was the service by the lady that was there. She stood behind the counter and made us get up from our table to order. I just thought it was a little odd.
Just been here once and the food was tasty and fresh enough and I’ll definitely come back. :)

Decided to give this place a try even though it had three and a half stars. We ordered the Lomo Saltado. The order took only 10 minutes to come out and because the food came out so fast I was a little worried that it would taste awful. However, this was not the case! The food was GREAT! It came out nice and hot and full of flavor. The potatoes were crispy on the outside and soft in the inside. The meat was nice and tender and the flavor of the sauce was a perfect balance. I have been to nicer Peruvian restaurants and they didn’t taste as good as this little hole in the wall. I do have to say they give you a generous portion but I guess they should since you are paying $ 12.
The only thing is that they need a better server. The poor boy looked scared of everything. When I asked for a glass of water with lemon he looked at me like I just asked him the hardest question. Also, when he brings out the food he brings one at a time. He also is holding the plate with both hands concentrating on the plate like he doesn’t want to trick. Funny thing is that he only has to walk 10 steps the most cause the place is super tiny.
Would I come back? YES I WOULD!

Awesome chicken (Pollo a la Brasa) as always, i just wish the price didn’t keep rising lol, but is still worth it!

Had the Peace do Saltado, and it was amazing! I used the rice to soak up every bit of tasty sauce at the bottom of the plate! Some of the fries were still crispy in the dish, which tells me it was all made fresh. The fish was soft and soaked in the wonderful sauce, the rice was fluffy and the tomatoes and onions were cooked to perfection. I have not had a Salado for years because I no longer eat chicken or beef, so the fact that this place has a fish option is fantastic! That’s hard to find at Peruvian places. The chicha was the best I’ve had, with just enough sweetness to balance the characteristic purple corn flavor.
The matron was sitting outside taking on her phone when we walked up, and she quickly ended her call to hand us menus. She also helped me with a booster seat for my son and brought us an extra plate to share the entrée. I will be back again and again!

Their lomo saltado doesn’t have much flavor, but their pollo la brasa is to die for! Always so moist and yummy! & good value! Never eaten inside, always order to go. But the staff is always friendly.

The food here is always really good and I love the atmosphere of this place. The green sauce is amazing as well, I love to smother my whole plate with it. A little small diner but still really good.

Saltado de pescado is really good: D Chicha morada is the best I’ve tasted so far. Pricy, makes my wallet sad… however, it is good enough to want to come back again!

You know it’s bad when you leave the restaurant already composing the wretched review you’re going to give it.
I did a double-​and-​triple take when I saw the ratings this place has received. First off, this is my 5^th (count ‘em: five) visit here. I keept hoping, praying, wishing, begging, they would suprise me with something good. Instead what I have eaten here is easily the worst excuse for Peruvian food in all of Orange County. Many dishes are almost inedible.
case in point: today’s chaufa de pollo. The rice was uncooked– almost literally out of the bag. It was hard like uncooked popcord. The chicken was so overdone that it was like eating small pieces of shoe leather. They cleverly sprinkled the chicken near the top of the mound of rice to make it look like there is a lot in there. The truth is there is about a tablespoon worth of chicken there. Just atrocious.
Everything I’ve had (with the exception of the pollo a la brasa (rotisserie chicken)) has been lousy.
The cook is some disinterested 20-​something who spent all of his time watching TV in the restaurant’s dining area until he looked disgusted at having to cook for a customer. I see nobody here that gives a rat’s ass about anything they serve. It’s not that they can’t make decent food, it’s just that they don’t care.
To be fair, the pollo a la brasa is actually good. It’s the only thing I would order here. Also, they have some nice aji rocoto sauce, as well as their traditional green aji sauce. Both are excellent. They make a wonderful maracuya drink (passion fruit), and a very authentic chicha morada. I wish the rest of their food would come even close.
Here’s my advice to the restaurant: You all look like you hate your jobs, and your attitude and cooking confirms it. Get out of the business! Go do something you love, because, clearly, this isn’t it. And I’ve given you 5 chances. There is a LOT wrong here.

Lunch time equaled Lomo Saltado. I was actually planning to visit the next door Thai Tangerine but I thought I would try something different. It was very cute and cozy inside and the portion was plentiful. The meat was tender and the fries mixed in the sauce was very good. I ordered my dish to go and was out of there within 10 minutes. The girl at the counter could be a bit more friendly.

Two stars strictly for the delicious food. The portions were hearty and everything was so delicious and flavorful (our group had the Lomo Saltado, Ceviche and Pollo — all wonderful entrees). The service… whole other story! We received what had to be the worst service ever. Our waitress (who was possibly one of the owners) was so sullen and uninterested in us as patrons. Sad to say this is the problem with these smaller «hole in the wall» restaurants — you discover great food, however, 9 out of 10 times the service is horrid! Try it out but my suggestion is get your food «to go»!!
Prices are average — not much less than the nicer peruvian restaurants in the area!

The food here is fine but I will go to El Rocoto next time. They served me the ‘tallarin verde con pollo apanado’ which was sorta meh. There, I saved you, now thank me!
This establishment is very small and inside a little shopping center with mostly ethnic hole in the wall joints. the prices are similar to those of other larger Peruvian restaurants, but the quality is that of a hole in the wall (not all hole in the wall places are that good). I might be back to try the chaufa, but on second thought, maybe I will just save my appetite for Peruvian until I head out to Cerritos or Gardena and get me some Rocoto.
Hasta la victoria siempre!

The chicken here is exceptional! I love it… when they don’t run out. I have made the mistake of driving here only to find out that they are out of chicken. What??? YOU’RE A CHICKEN PLACE HOW IS THIS HAPPENING. I suggest calling ahead before heading down here unless you enjoy being disappointed. I called Saturday and guess what: No chicken.
Recipe for going out of business:
1. Call your place Mr. Pollo
2. Don’t have pollo
Try the chicken! At 8am. When they have it.

The Lomo Saltado is good, I think it was $ 12 or $ 14. You get a good portion but it is still a bit pricey. I have had better but it was still good. My friend that I went with got a half chicken and she liked it. The price for the chicken was much more affordable. The green sauce was not bad, I wouldn’t say the best. If you like creamy green sauce, it’s not creamy.
The atmosphere was small and cute, I like their posters of Peru. I got confused that there was a counter with a cash register and thought we ordered there, but they do take your order at your table.
OH! I just scanned the reviews and realized we didn’t get bread! I’ve always gotten bread to nibble on with green sauce at other Peruvian restaurants (minus 1 star)!

The business was sold to a new owner. The new owner gives horrible customer service. The green sauce is not the best anymore. She doesn’t even make my vegetarian chaufa. So sad that after so many years of amazing food and great customer service, this business has been sold to a horrible new management. :(
Now to find a new peruvian restaurant that has good food.

Stopped in for Thai, and noticed this little Peruvian chicken place. Chicken cooked over a fire has a powerful allure for me — crazy, like a mouth drawn to a flame.
The place is tiny, with about nine tables tucked in snugly, with a very modest but clean interior.
A friendly lady offered me a menu with a warm smile. It was a single sided, one page affair — which brought a smile to my face.
I ordered the half chicken combo, which came with white rice and a nice salad. The chicken was moist, without being drippy. The skin roasted to a crispy, delicious finish. Two sauces were offered, a mild green sauce and a fiery red sauce. Me, being a person who likes tears when eating, thoroughly enjoyed the unique sauce. It was pretty spicy with a nice firm body to it.
For a change of pace, I enjoyed an ice cold mug of passion fruit juice. It is fresh and will transport you to the tropics with your first sip. Beats the heck out of boring old sodas.
The best thing about this place are the folks who run it — warm, hospitable, and genuinely kind. The food will satisfy your appetite, and you will love the people.

Very good chicken.
My daughter thought that the soup was excellent as well.
Superb service.

On our way back from Disneyland, craving some filling food other than junk stuff and saw this spot. Since I love peruvian we decided to Unilocal it and with 3 ½ stars it was a good enuf rating for us to try out.
As always the saltado dishes are a good basic dish to go with. One of us got the pollo saltado and the other the beef saltado. Food was pretty good, nothing outstanding but it is simple, basic fare. Downside was slight in that the more well rounded saltado dishes are much more well seasoned and this was leaning a bit towards semi flavorful. Sometimes having restaurants to compare against does not always do a new spot sufficient justice; but it is what it is.
Restaurant was clean, staff pleasant and efficient and there are no real drawbacks on that side. But I do agree with their current rating and don’t feel that I could go above the 3 simply because the food was good but not great for Peruvian.